Gainesville College Living
Football - Allstate Sugar Bowl: Florida 51 - Cinci 24 | Citi BCS National Championship: Alabama 37 - Texas 21

Schedule
Roster
Nov 2
Saint Leo
W 95-46
Nov 9
Webber
W 104-53
Nov 15
Stetson
W 74-46
Nov 18
GA S.
W 69-49
Nov 20
Troy
W 80-58
Nov 24
FSU
W 68-52
Nov 27
Michigan State
W 77-74
Nov 28
Rutgers
W 73-58
Dec 1
FAMU
W 80-59
Dec 4
JU
W 85-67
Dec 10
Syracuse
L 73-85
Dec 19
Richmond
L 53-56
Dec 22
South Alabama
L 66-67
Dec 28
American
W 76-60
Dec 30
Presbyterian
W 79-38
Jan 3
NC State
W 62-61
Jan 9
Vandy
L 87-95
Jan 12
UK
L 77-89
Jan 16
LSU
W 72-58
Jan 21
Arkansas
W 71-66
Jan 23
South Carolina
W 58-56
Jan 27
Georgia
W 87-71
Jan 31
Tennessee
L 60-61
Feb 4
Alabama
W 66-65
Feb 6
Mississippi State
W 69-62
Feb 10
South Carolina
L 71-77
Feb 13
Xavier
L 64-76
Feb 18
Auburn
W 78-70
Feb 20
Ole Miss
W 64-61
Feb 23
Tennessee
W 75-62
Feb 27
Georgia
L 76-78
Mar 2
Vanderbilt
L 60-64
Mar 7
UK
W/L
Mar 11-14
SEC
Tourney
 
Gators Get The Best Of SOS Yet Again PDF Print E-mail
Written by Chris Canada   
Monday, 16 November 2009

The Florida Gators held off the South Carolina Gamecocks 24-14 in Columbia. The Ol’ Ball Coach had his alma mater on the ropes heading in to the 4th quarter, but yet another big play by the Gator defense sealed USC’s fate. With the win, the Gators moved to 10-0 on the season, and finished with a perfect 8-0 SEC record, the first time since the 1996 national championship team...

 

I think it’s clearly apparent now that Urban Meyer is playing semi-conservatively on the offensive side of the ball to increase time of possession and decrease the risk of injury. The game plan has simply been to score early, run the clock out, and rely on your defense to stifle your opponent. This may not look pretty, but it’s been quite effective.

Urban knows that a healthy team is crucial for late-season success. If you remember, in 2007 the Gators were using Tim Tebow as a battering ram over and over again. This led to a slew of injuries throughout the season. (Yet, he still rocked the house with probably the greatest single season ever by a quarterback statistically, but I digress…)

Also, a lack of depth on the defensive side of the ball meant that starters were playing tons of minutes every game. This combination led to a 4-loss season. Last season, Coach Meyer started using more substitutions and limiting Tebow’s fullback carries, and it led to a national championship. This year has been even more conservative as last season.

I think he’s figured out that he doesn’t have to throw the ball all over the field, or use Tebow as Superman on every single play. The fact is, when it comes down to it, our players will be physically and mentally ready for a big late season game, specifically Alabama and the bowl game. And that’s how you win championships.

As for the USC game, I think there are some troubling revelations. Firstly, I’m still concerned about kicker Caleb Sturgis. I’ll give him a pass on the two missed 50+ yarders, as I’m not expecting him to make every one of those. However, he kicked ANOTHER kickoff out of bounds. It’s inexcusable. Giving your opponent the ball at the 40 yard line is a big advantage, and severely affects the field position battle.

He also missed a short field goal from the left hash. I told my buddy right before the kick that he was definitely gonna shank it. I had no prior data to tell me otherwise. Now, I think he’s solid on all other kicks, but I think Urban needs to seriously consider Jonathon Phillips from the left hash if the opportunity arises.

Secondly, although Riley Cooper started off fast, I was disappointed to see him drop two long distance sure-fire touchdown passes. On both occasions, he had beaten his man downfield and the ball hit him right in the hands. In my opinion, if you’re playing the right to play for a national championship, you need to dive for those balls and make the play.

On a positive note, it was clear that Cooper was beating his man on every play. I remember watching plenty of replays where he was alone downfield. He was visibly upset on numerous occasions on the sidelines following possible big plays. However, if you see a weakness in your opponent, you need to attack it repeatedly, or as the very least until they make adjustments.

Finally, After Tebow took a big hit in the 2nd quarter, he looked a little dazed when he got up. I’m always concerned that the next hit will be the one that knocks him out.

Other than that, I think we played a very good game, even though the score might not show it. We controlled clock and our defense made big plays when they had to, specifically consistently pressuring the quarterback. Next week we get Florida International at home, prepping us for the home finale against FSU.

 
Discuss (3 posts)
Gators Get The Best Of SOS Yet Again
Nov 16 2009 16:02:32
If we had played in Atlanta in 07, he would have played with a cast, or not played. So yeah, avoiding that would be a good idea.
#2748
Gators Get The Best Of SOS Yet Again
Nov 17 2009 17:29:58
One of the two "drops" by Cooper was slightly overthrown for sure. He looked like he was giving it his all and still couldn't catch up to it. It's not like he's letting balls bounce off his chest like Brandon James.
#2752
Re:Gators Get The Best Of SOS Yet Again
Nov 20 2009 16:49:00
I've always wanted to get BJ more involved the offense, but at this point in his career, it's clear he's not going to be a threat (at UF) as anything but a returner.

Hopefully he can make an NFL squad, and they can find another role for him- but he and Tebow have never gotten on the same page with routes, and I don't think anyone is accusing him of having great hands.

Tebow is sort of erratic with his accuracy on screen/swing passes, though, and I think that's the kind of play BJ could really excel with. Problem is, if it's not a perfect throw, he has about 0% chance of catching it.
#2767

Quick Post

 
Security Image Text:


CAPTCHA Image
Reload Image (Not case sensitive)
 

Discuss...
< Prev   Next >
 
Bookmark and Share
 
Add to RootZoo
Gainesville Florida
Percy Harvin
Gainesville Apartment
Gainesville Apartments
Apartments in Gainesville
Gainesville Florida Apartment
Apartment in Gainesville
Gators Apparel, Gator Gear
Gainesville Apartments, Tallahassee Apartments
Alachua County, Gainesville